Blog posts about art making
I don’t know about you… but I’m a huge fan of spooky things! I find I can really let my imagination run wild when I’m drawing the macabre, eerie, and supernatural. In this activity, artists are guided step by step to draw their own mix ‘n match haunted house. This post includes a video tutorial, … Read more
Welcome! This blog post features a guided tutorial of how to create a principles of design tile project. This is a great introduction or review activity for artists to deepen their knowledge of the principles of design, including rhythm, contrast, unity/harmony repetition/pattern, and more! What are the principles of design? The principles of design describe … Read more
Welcome! This blog post explores a project that depicts one cohesive image divided into 7 sections which illustrate the 7 elements of art: line, shape, color, form, value, texture, and space. The elements of art the artists toolbox they can use in an endless amount of ways to create infinite art solutions. This is a … Read more
During Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), I love to introduce to my students to the celebration of the Day of the Day (Dia de los Muertos). Through an investigation of the meaning, history, and culture of this traditional celebration of Mexico my students really grow an appreciation for Mexican art in the process. Many … Read more
For years, I’ve been on the hunt for an inexpensive yet effective tool to create texture in art projects. We were recently remodeling our house and I was watching as my husband using a caulking gun on our new baseboards. I started asking him a thousand questions like how do you use that thing?…. how … Read more
Welcome! Drawing a vortex is a great skill building activity for artists. This blog post features step by step drawing guides to draw 3 different looking vortexes, video tutorials and a FREE guided worksheet for artists to use. **Hey, teachers!** If you’re interested in this full lesson with a slideshow presentation, grading rubric, and more, … Read more
A really fun thing to explore with perspective drawing is points of view. Artists can draw from the viewpoint of a human, a bird looking down or a worm looking up to capture visual interest and add drama to their work. This blog post will explore how to draw 3 different points of view using … Read more
Looking to build your skills with colored pencils? This activity will help you develop skills in layering and burnishing your colored pencils to create a super realistic paint blob with defined shadows and highlights. This blog post features tips, a video tutorial, step by step photos, and 70 royalty-free paint blob photographs in a variety … Read more
My first experience with gesture sketching wasn’t until my college figure drawing class. By drawing hundreds of quick gesture sketches of the models, I quickly saw an improvement in my observation skills as an artist and my ability to draw the human body in variety of movements. I wish I would have started exploring figure … Read more
Looking for a cool way to explore 1 point perspective drawing on a unique art medium? Check out this step by step tutorial for etching a 1 point perspective street with glowing street lights on scratch paper. This post includes a materials list, video tutorial, and step by step photos to work at your own … Read more